Prince of Persia Warrior Within

Review: Could this be the best wireless game of 2004?

Gameloft's Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is easily one of the best cellphone adventures -- actually, best cellphone games -- IGN Wireless has ever had the privilege to play. Sands of Time beautiful graphics, excellent design sensibilities, and exquisite play value made it one of the first wireless games to ever challenge a console game for at-home playtime -- and win. And now with another Prince of Persia game about to grace consoles from Ubi Soft, Gameloft is back with the continuing adventures of the young Prince.Features:

10 levels

Multiple combat moves

Arena modeMuch like the new console game, Warrior Within takes a turn for the dark. This Prince is a grim visage of his former self -- tired of being stalked by evil, he has decided to violently take his destiny into his own hands. The Empress of Time, angry that the Prince has been able to use the flow of time to remain alive after so many attempts on his, has dispatched an army of minions -- including the Temptresses -- to finally seal the Prince's fate for good. At least, the fate she believes must befall the hero.Just as the new game places a greater emphasis on combat, the mobile Warrior Within is more about slashing up your foes than out-thinking platforming puzzles. There is still plenty of jumping, climbing, and running to do, but thanks to a brand-new combo system, this Prince is better suited for splashing the walls with crimson than ever before.In the upper-left corner of the game screen, you'll spy three small windows. When in combat, your button inputs will appear in these windows. Complete the correct button sequence (in a reasonable amount of time) and the prince will unleash a wicked move, such as the Blade Dervish that attacks enemies on both sides. As you finish levels, you'll learn new moves that will be immediately put to good use in the next challenge.Our favorite move, though, is one you learn early on: Heart Render. Want proof that this is a darker game? Walk up to a bad guy, soften him up with a few blows, and then hit the "attack" button three times in succession. The Prince will skewer the enemy, draw him close and stab him repeatedly in the chest. Once he's properly ventilated, the Prince will kick his lifeless corpse away like an empty baklava wrapper.The best thing about Warrior Within's combo system? With only three button inputs, it's easy to remember all of the moves. If you're the kind of gamer that gets frustrated with needing to remember a string of inputs thirty deep to pull off a special move, you'll welcome the break. When combat gets harried, you'll instantly have the right move right at your fingertips without needing to consult Cliff's Notes.Warrior Within is a pretty lengthy little adventure. The ten levels span pirate ships and cursed palaces, each brimming with unspeakable evil sent forth by the Empress of Time. The Prince must use all of his normal moves, such as leaping across gaps or jumping up to ledges, to complete each level. For example, right away on the pirate ship, you must hurl yourself across burning chasms, duck beneath fiery planks, and swing from chain to chain in order to slip off the ship unscathed. In later palaces, you must duck beneath blades that erupt from walls, roll beneath spiked columns, and wall-run across wide crevices.You can also use the environmental hazards against the Empress' legions. You can back a foe up on to a spike field, then step on a trap trigger to make the spikes pop up and perforate your enemy.Warrior Within is full of really cool moments like that. Just little "wows" that make you smile, such as the first time you attack an enemy while hanging from a chain or rush an enemy that hit you for a well-deserved Payback attack. And Gameloft's attention to detail has never been more evident. Shooting stars streak the heavens while you cut down enemies on the pirate ship. Creeping vegetation fills the cracks in ancient pillars. Rats scurry by as you clash swords with bad guys. Bugs swarm near windows.We have yet to play a Gameloft game that didn?t look good, and Warrior Within is no exception. 3D games may be the ultimate goal of this industry, but Warrior Within proves there is still nothing quite like gorgeous, hand-drawn sprites and gingerly created animation sequences. The Prince is wonderfully rendered in black and red, and on the QD we used for testing, you can even see the ripped contours of his chest.The levels are also astoundingly detailed. How Gameloft is able to get this many backdrops and sprites into such a reasonable download is a mystery. The palace and temple interiors all have individual looks, such as lion wall d¿cor and ornate window dressings.Warrior Within employs a decent amount of sound. The game starts with a dark dirge and most special moves are accompanied by a little flourish. During levels, the game mainly sticks with sound effects like the pounding of dropping pillars.

The Verdict

Warrior Within is Gameloft's triumph. Sands of Time
seemed an impossible product to best, but Warrior Within
does so handily. All of the platforming elements are still present, such
as wall-running and avoiding spikes, but the new combat features
really push this game over the top. Finishing off enemies with that
wicked Heart Render move is cooler than cool.

If you have a phone that can handle Warrior Within, download
it immediately. Scour your carrier's game deck or head to Gameloft's
web page and order it directly. It is likely the best game of the year.